BART, Caltrain mark ridership milestones

It was the highest ridership in BART's 40 years of service, easily passing the old record of 522,198 exits, which was set on Nov. 3, 2010. Compared to a typical October Wednesday, the Oct. 31, 2012, ridership represents a 40 percent increase.

"This was a tremendous and exciting day for BART and the Bay Area," BART Board of Directors President John McPartland said. "We can't thank our passengers enough for being patient and helping make the day a success."

Caltrain broke new ground in September by serving 50,821 average weekday riders, a new all-time high. That number comes on the heels of 26 consecutive months of ridership growth and it is the second month in the past calendar year that has seen ridership totals of more than 50,000.

Shuttle ridership increased by 52.1 percent in September to 10,247 riders. The shuttles provide an important last-mile connection for commuters using the train to get to work sites off the rail system.

Caltrain carried more than 88,000 riders on October 31, marking its largest single ridership day ever. The previous record was set in 2010 when Caltrain carried roughly 80,000 riders.